Apparatus for use in connection with manufacture of cigarettes



y 1941- F. o. RASCHKE ETAL 2,241,072

APPARATUS FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH MANUFACTURE OF CIGARETTES Filed April 17, 1939 multi-layer pile.

Patented May 6, 1941 APPARATUS FOR USE CONNECTION WITH MANUFACTURE OF CIGARETTES Fritz Otto Raschke and Johann Paul Kochta,

Dresden, Germany, assignors, by mesne assignments, to J. C. Muller N. V., Rotterdam,

Netherlands Application April 17, 1939, Serial No. 268,264 In Germany April 27, 1938 5 Claims. ei. 226-5) of cigarettes of the pile, so that their irregular. position may easily lead to inconveniences in the subsequent delivery which may give rise to interruption in the operation of the machine or injury to the cigarettes.

' According to this invention, in order to avoid this drawback, there is provided an abutment 2 plate which, when the plunger returns into such an oblique position, is brought in front of the outlet aperture of the distributing passage so that it comes into position in front of the end surface of the next pile of cigarettes which first of all tips downwards, and prevents displacement of the top layers of this pile, While on the forward movement of the plunger, the abutment plate is moved clear of the path of advance of the cigarettes. The movable plate is preferably provided with an extension connected to the oblique abutment surface and which, when the abutment is in the inoperative position, bridges the gap in the table surface of the conveyer track,

and when lifted forms a passage for the lugs of the conveyer device.

Devices are already known in which the individual layers of cigarettes thrust out of the feed hopper are piled up on a conveyer track to form a plurality of layers at some distance from the discharge position, in which case likewise an abutment plate serves for end-adjustment of the This plate, however, co-operates'with a press to form a cigarette pack, and it does not fulfil the function of preventing displacement of the upperlayers of the pile, as in that case the pile as such cannot assume an oblique position. In other known devices in the rear zone in the direction of delivery of the distributing passage there is provided a pivoted stop which serves as a lowering device and which, immediately after the conveyer lug has passed, comes into position for separating the pile of cigarettes at the next lowest cigarette position and lowers the latter on to the conveyer table ers.

Without exerting any influence in the longitudinal direction of the superimposed cigarette-lay- This arrangement is efiective only in connection with conveyer lugs which are moved continuously, and is not suitable for use with a reciprocating conveyer plunger, as the latter, on its backward movement, itself provides a partial support of the superjacent cigarette layer, and therefore leaves no room for the lowering device in question. i

One form of construction of the invention is illustrated in the annexed drawing, in which- Fig. 1 shows in cross-section a feed hopper provided with an ejection device.

Figs. 2 and 3 show in longitudinal section the ejection device at the bottom part of the feed hopper in different operative positions of the abutment.

Fig. 4 ma plan of the device shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

In the drawing, afdenotes a feed hopper for receiving cigarettes, the bottom of which extends downwardly in the form of a passage-like attach ment 1) having a series of walls 0 for separating the cigarettes located therein. The lower aperture of the passage 1) is closed by a reciprocating plunger d which is adapted to slide over a table plate e, and the height of which corresponds to the height of the pile of cigarettes to be delivered in each particular case.

In the passage 27 are located several superimposed layers of cigarettes which when the plunger 11 moves back sink under the influence of their own weight'and finallyarrive on the table plate (of. Fig. 2). along which, on the renewed forward movement of the plunger (1, theyare displaced out of the lateral outlet aperture of the passage 1). As may be seen in Fig. 3, on the gradual backward movement of the plunger d the pile assumes a slanting position which can lead to a displacement of individual cigarettes or layers of cigarettes by relative longitudinal movement.

In order to limit such longitudinal displace ment there is provided a plate adapted to be raised and lowered and having a slanting abutment surface which comes into position in front of the end of the inclined pile of cigarettes and thus prevents a relative longitudinal displacement. The abutment surface f is pivotally mounted by means of lateral lever arms g in bearings h, and its pivotal movement is controlled by a cam lever 70, the free end of which engages in a slideway m on one endof the lever g. The control is effected in time with the movement of the plunger d, and is so arranged that on the backward movement of the plunger d the abutment j is in the raised position, and on the subsequent forward movement of the plunger sinks into the position shown in Fig. 2, 'so that the cigarettes can be moved forward freely. The slanting abutment surface I is provided with an extension n which, when the abutment is in the lowered position, bridges the gap in the table surface of the conveyer track and forms a carryover surface leading to the table of the device serving for advancing the pile of cigarettes.-

The piles which are moved forward are further displaced on the table 0 by endless actuated conveyer lugs 10. The latter are mounted on a chain q, and arrive below a raised extension 11 level with the conveyer table 0. The distribution of the conveyer lugs and their speed mustin this case naturally be such that in each particular case when the plate 11. is in the raised position a lug can always pass under it.

' The invention is not limited to the form of construction illustrated; thus, for example, the movement of the abutment plate 1 can be effected by other means, for example by rectilinear displacement in vertical guides. The abutment platecan also be moved into its effective position laterally or from other directions with the aid of any known driving means.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for the ejection of multi-layer piles of cigarettes, comprising a distributing passage, a-table plate located under the passage and supporting the lowermost layer of the pile, a reciprocable plunger on the said table, adapted to displace the pile laterally of the passage, an opening in the said table in front of the cigarette pile, a movable abutment in the said opening, means for raising and lowering the abutment. in timed relation to the reciprocation of the plunger into and out of contact with the front surface of the cigarette pile and an extension on said abutment for filling in its lowered position said opening.

2. An apparatus for the ejection of multi-layer piles of cigarettes, comprising a distributing passage, a table plate located under the passage and supporting the lowermost layer of the pile, a reciprocable plunger on the said table, adapted to displace the pile laterally of the passage, an opening in the said table in front of the cigarette pile, a slanting abutment plate swingably mounted in the said opening, means for swinging the abutment plate into and out of contact with the end surface of the cigarette pile in timed relation to the reciprocation of the plunger and an extension connected to the abutment for filling the opening in its lowered position.

3. An apparatus for the ejection of multi-layer piles of cigarettes, comprising a distributing pass age, a receiving table located under the passage, an endless conveyor for the said table, a reciprocable plunger under the passage and adapted to advance the cigarette pile on the table laterally of the passage to the endless conveyor, an opening in the table in front of the cigarette pile for the endless conveyor, an abutment in the said opening, means for raising and lowering the abutment into and out of contact with the end surface of the cigarette pile in timed relation to the reciprocation of the plunger and an extension connected to the abutment for filling the'opening in the lowered position ofthe abutment and form- Elf-1a, passage for the conveyor in the raised posi- 4. Apparatus for the ejection of loose i in piles of multiple layers, comp-rising S t/1:22;? distributing passage for loose cigarettes arranged in superposed relation in said passage, said distributing passage having a lateral outlet opening adjacent the bottom thereof for cigarette piles of multiple layers of loose cigarettes a h plate below the bottom of said passage 2 25 51 2 3 porting the lowermost layer of the pile, a plunger adapted to reciprocate longitudinally on said plate to displace the pile laterally of said passage through said outlet opening upon the inward movement of said plunger, the retiring movement of said plunger permitting the loose cigarettes in saiddistributing passage to gravitate on to said plate into a pile of multiple layers, movable means having a substantially vertical contact face adJacent said outlet opening so positioned and arranged with respect to the cigarettes that in one position of said movable means said contact face engages the front end of each of the cigarettes of the pile of loose cigarettes gravitating on to said plate upon the retiring movement of said plunger, to prevent longitudinal displacement of the multiple layers of the cigarette pile through said outlet opening during the ret ring movement of said plunger, and means for moving said movable means into and out of engagement wiilththte ends of the cigarettes of said cigarette g1 den lg; I .irned relation to the reciprocationv of said 5. Apparatus for the ejection of loose cigarettes in p les of multiple layers comprising a vertical distributing passage for loose cigarettes arranged in superposed relation therein, said distributing passage having a lateral outlet opening adjacent the bottom thereof for cigarette piles of multiple layers of loose cigarettes, a horizontal plate below the bottom of said passage for supporting the lowermost layer of the pile, a plunger adapted to longitudinally reciprocate on said 1 place the pile laterally of said pasggz tl i oi i g h said outlet opening upon the inward movement of said plunger, the retiring movement of said plunger permitting the loose cigarettes in said distributing passage to gravitate on to said plate into a pile of multiple layers an u pwardly slanting abutment plate ad acent said outlet opening movable into and out of enga emen front end of each of the cigarettes of zai t i gile i loose cigarettes, and means for moving said abutment plate into and out of engagement with the front end of each of the cigarettes in timed relation to the reciprocation of said plunger said last named means moving said abutment plate into engagement with the front end of each cigarette of said pile during the retiring movement of said plunger, to prevent longitudinal displacement of the multiple layers of the cigarette pile through said outlet opening, said last named means moving said abutment plate out of engagement with the front end of each cigarette of said pile to geim t eJection of the latter through said lateral pp during the inward movement of said FRITZ OTTO RASCI-IKE.

J OHANN PAUL KOCI-ITA. 

